1980 Candidates Matches

CYCLE 11: 8-Man Knockout

Six qualifiers from two Interzonal tournaments, plus two seeds play knockout matches, with the winner playing a World Championship match against Karpov in 1981.

(Black background indicates black in the first game) 

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Korchnoi     ½½½½1½½½1  5½
Petrosian    ½½½½0½½½0  3½
    
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Polugaevsky  11½½½½1½  5½
Tal          00½½½½0½  2½
    
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Huebner      ½½1½10½½½½  5½
Adorjan      ½½0½01½½½½  4½
    
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Portisch     1½½½½½½½0½ ½½ ½½  7
Spassky      0½½½½½½½1½ ½½ ½½  7

    
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Korchnoi     ½½½1½0½1½½½0 ½1  7½
Polugaevsky  ½½½0½1½0½½½1 ½0  6½
    
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Huebner      ½½½½½½½½11½  6½
Portisch     ½½½½½½½½00½  4½
    
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Korchnoi  01½0½½11**  6½
Huebner   10½1½½00**  3½

THE PLAYERS

# Player Country Status
1 Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi Switzerland Seeded; lost previous Championship Match
2 Robert Huebner West Germany Qualified from Interzonal
3 Lev Polugaevsky USSR Qualified from Interzonal
4 Lajos Portisch Hungary Qualified from Interzonal
5 Boris Spassky France Seeded; lost previous Candidates Final
6 Andras Adorjan Hungary Qualified from Interzonal
7 Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian USSR Qualified from Interzonal
8 Mikhail Tal USSR Qualified from Interzonal

THE QUARTERFINALS (Best of 10)

Velden, Mar '80 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Korchnoi ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 5½
Petrosian ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 3½

Alma Ata, Mar-Apr '80 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Polugaevsky 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 5½
Tal 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 2½

Bad Lauterberg, Mar '80 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Huebner ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 5½
Adorjan ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 4½

Mexico City, Mar-Apr '80 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Portisch 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 7
Spassky 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 7
When the match was tied at 5-5, two 2-game matches were played. When these were tied also, the match was awarded to Portisch because he had won more games with Black.

THE SEMI-FINALS (Best of 12)

Buenos Aires, ? '80 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Korchnoi ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 7½
Polugaevsky ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 6½

Abano Terme, Aug '80 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Huebner ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 6½
Portisch ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 4½

THE FINALS (Best of 16)

Merano, ? '80 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Korchnoi 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 * * 6½
Huebner 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 0 * * 3½
Huebner resigned the match prematurely, with Games 9 and 10 adjourned. At the time, Chess Life reported that these two games would probably be adjudicated, with a final score of 6-4 "distinctly possible". If there had been an adjudication, Game 9 would certainly have been a draw, with Game 10 a possible win for Korchnoi. Chess Life never followed up on the story or reported a final score for the match, and the games were printed in Informator, with no result for either one. Apparently the adjudication never took place, and I have been unable to find an official Final Score for this match anywhere, even by asking around on FIDE's own website. Apparently nobody gave a darn, so I've forfeited both games to Korchnoi in the box score above, since Huebner didn't show up for the resumptions.

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